Freezing
Freezing is a game-mechanic which makes surviving Winter more difficult. Whenever a character is away from a heat source for too long they will begin to freeze. Once the edges of the screen become encrusted with ice (body temperature < 5''' degrees), this is a warning that the character is close to freezing, and the player should seek a heat source as soon as possible. When a second layer of ice crust forms over the edges (body temperature < '''0 degrees), the character starts to take 1.25 damage each second. Freezing stops soon after the player finds a sufficient heat source. Freezing can be negated by being near a sufficiently warm heat source, slowed by wearing warm Clothes, growing a Beard or stopped for a limited time by carrying a charged Heat Stone or equipping a Torch. Surviving Fire The best way to have a reliable and steady source of fire is by having a Campfire or a Fire Pit. A Torch won't provide much warmth but can buy a limited time before freezing actually settles in. In emergencies, objects and even creatures can also be set on fire for an immediate source of warmth. A single flammable item can be dropped on the ground by holding the CTRL key and clicking the LMB. Once on the ground such items can be lit on fire with a Torch, and will provide a small and limited amount of heat. With enough fuel, small fires like this can provide enough warmth to get to a better source of heat. This might be dangerous (or advantageous) however as nearby flammable objects can catch fire as well. Warm Clothing One of the best options for traveling away from a fire during winter is to wear some combination of warm clothing. These items increase the amount of time a character can be away from fire before freezing begins. Having several items equipped at the same time provides a cumulative bonus. Sooner or later however, characters will be forced to return to a source of warmth, wearing insulation merely delays the time it takes before the character starts freezing. Other options Although Fire and warm Clothing are the best options for surviving winter, more options exist: *Heat Stones can be crafted to carry the heat. *Wilson's Beard provides additional insulation depending on its length. *Willow's fire will generate a small amount of heat, though it is only available when her sanity is low (and very random). *Willow's Lighter produces a very small amount of heat by itself, but in a pinch could be used to light surroundings on fire for emergency heat. Game Mechanics Freezing mechanic is based on the temperature implementation in the game. A player character has a body temperature, which ranges from '-20' to 40 degrees. If a body temperature is below 0''' degrees, the character takes '''1.25 damage per second. Ambient temperature is a key factor influencing a character's body temperature. Body temperature tends to match the ambient temperature. The speed at which a body temperature decreases to match ambient temperature is any value between 0 and -1 degrees per second given by the function: -30 / (30 + total insulation), where total insulation is a sum of all insulation currently being worn (see table below). Each additional point of insulation provides exponentially less and less protection from cold, so the first item worn makes the biggest difference by far. The temperature increases to match ambient temperature at a speed of +5 degrees per second while below freezing point (0''' degrees), and '''+1 per second while over freezing point. The warmest combination is the Puffy Vest, Beefalo Hat and a fully grown beard (if you are Wilson). This will add up to a whopping 615 points of insulation. With a fully charged Heat Stone and a torch equipped you can have a mobile heat source almost as hot as a stage 1 Campfire. For the purpose of calculating a Heat Stone's own temperature loss a fixed insulation of 120 is used. This value is NOT added to the player's total insulation and vice versa, a Heat Stone cools at the same rate on the ground as it does in the inventory. Ambient temperature is affected by immediate heat sources. It is the average of air temperature and all available heat source temperatures in proximity. Heat sources below the player's body temperature do not affect ambient temperature. Example: if air temperature is '-20', heat source 1 temperature is 70 and heat source 2 temperature is 100, the ambient temperature would be 150 / 3 = 50. The heat from a heat source is less the farther away it is. For full list of burnable objects see Fire. Trivia *Sanity, Hunger, and Health do not affect Freezing. *With Wilsons beard fully grown, a fully charged heat stone, Beefalo hat, and Puffy vest, you'd last roughly 16.67 minutes in real time without a heat source. *Heat Stones only work while their temperature is greater than the player's body temperature; once the Heat Stone cools to below that level, it has no further effect on the player's body temperature. Category:Weather Category:Winter